Implantation of a nerve cuff for peripheral nerve stimulation, and specifically vagus nerve stimulation (“VNS”), can be a cumbersome process. It typically involves careful excising of the vagus or vagal nerve from its sheath and manually coiling an electrode-bearing device (e.g., electrode cuff) around the nerve. The desire to minimize scar size can lead surgeons to create a small incision, which leaves little room to manipulate multiple surgical implements while handling and deploying the electrode cuff.
Known system and methods generally consist of a coil-shaped nerve electrode cuff that is manually wrapped around the vagus nerve using standard surgical forceps and other implements. The proximity of this operation to the carotid artery, jugular vein, and other vessels may provide additional hazards. For example, employing such techniques can result in an increased risk of puncturing one of these vessels or severing the vagus nerve itself. Generally, such procedures require slow and deliberate actions on the part of the surgeon. Thus, the manual nature of wrapping the cuff can be time consuming and may increase the risks of nerve and vasculature damage.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the above-identified problems.